If I had a dollar for each comment about the design and aesthetics of the MOONDROP Solis 2, I could have retired by now. MOONDROP started teasing the Solis 2 earlier this year with photos that didn't do it justice. Then came some phone photos from audio shows which made them look like they could be $20 Aliexpress specials before properly lit photos and renders made their way. At this time people started speculating the cost too, given the original Solis just about broke the $1000 price point—a huge deal for Chinese IEMs at the time—only to be shocked at the $2700 price point announced. More details came alongside in the form of the drivers being used as well as the nature of these extremely special shells that use sterling silver which is hand carved by experienced artisans/jewelers before a gold/silver applique is soldered by hand on top. This ends up making the Solis 2 a true art piece that also uses precious metals while taking cues from Chinese history and also paying homage to the city MOONDROP is based in—lots of shoes being filled, clearly.

So the end result is a set of IEMs with shells that are heavy and bulky with the potential to be uncomfortable. They are also highly shiny and attention grabbing—you are not going to maintain a stealth profile outdoors with these in your ears! Yet somehow I found them comfortable as did a few others I know, and I'd also say they look much classier in person with the grooves also having being deliberately done to incorporate a patina as opposed to simply allowing the silver to oxidize and turn black throughout. As such, for me anyway, two of the listed cons are not really valid even though I absolutely need to mention them. The comfort/fit issue in particular will be a deal breaker if you can't get over wearing these for more than 15-20 min at a time, ideally much longer. It's hard to justify $2700 for a set of IEMs to begin with, and this is before the divisive design and comfort factors come into play.

Now we get to the sound itself, which is arguably the most important metric for headphones and IEMs alike. You will have noticed that most flagship IEMs tend to be more daring in terms of tuning. Many brands acknowledge that the average customer with enough budget to consider expensive products is more likely to already have specific tastes in music. They (hopefully) know which music genres and artists they prefer and this results in many esoteric tunings with specific strengths and weaknesses. I've noticed there simply are not many generally well-tuned sets catering to all-round performance here. The Subtonic Storm is an exception among the ones I've heard, although it costs nearly twice as much as the Solis 2 and is itself intended to put out the sound experience of two well-regarded monitor speakers in front. In that regard I do appreciate what MOONDROP has done with the Solis 2. It's not the most resolving set out there but bests others that cost more and competes favorably in other technical aspects to where the overall pleasant tuning makes for a highly smooth and relaxing sound which can instantly turn to an engaging one when you want to pay attention to your favorite singer or band. This is also a case where frequency response measurements are not telling the full story, so please do read all of page four to see how the Solis 2 merits a place in this market purely for its sound signature.

As it stands then, we have a set of IEMs which sounds quite good, competes favorably against others in the price range, uses actual precious metals and artisans for a handcrafted design to somewhat justify the price tag, and can be extremely divisive on comfort and looks. Given how picky the IEM market can be, it's fair to say the MOONDROP Solis 2 is not for everyone. If you prioritize sound over everything else, you are likely to find a similar experience for a lower price. There will no doubt be those who would want MOONDROP to make a Solis 2 Lite, for example, with plain aluminium shells and a less fancier cable/unboxing perhaps. The issue is that version is more likely to be forgotten in a few months given the relentless march of the IEM market in 2023. The Solis 2 has ended up a hot topic of discussion in various audiophile communities and manages to sell faster than MOONDROP can make it. SHENZHENAUDIO and other retailers have been forced to add a notice of pre-order on the product page given the lead times as a result of the shells being made by hand and no doubt having high rejection rates. The MOONDROP Solis 2 may not be for you, but clearly it's exactly what some people are looking for. Given I also found it intriguing and engaging, I do feel it merits a conditional recommendation. Go ahead and at least try it out if you get the chance!